Single Barrel/Single Shot Shotgun

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Something you don't see very often in our game is the single barrel/single shot shotgun.  The occasional popper target aside, they are perfectly legal in our game, and are even allowed to have ejectors.  Really, they are not all that different from how we treat the 97 as if it were a really weird action single shot.

But let that go.

I have found that these 1 bangers are quite fun to shoot, and are often interesting.   

Over the years, I have used my Greener police shotgun, made on the old Martini action, to be a nice scattergun, and I recently acquired a Hopkins and Allen gun in the "junk pile" of a local dealer who is going out of business for fifty bucks.   It's all there, works just fine, and I am eager to try it at a shoot.   I also have a Remington Rolling block 12 gauge that I want to give a try with as well.  It all adds up to a seldom seen variation.   I even have a K-Mart Special 20 gauge!  

I have also found that, when you find these things on the old, used gun market, they tend to be rather inexpensive, making them a tempting target to become a collection enhancement.

Anyone else out there have/use one of these one and done shotguns?  If so, what do you use?  

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I use an H&R single shot shotgun in warm-up matches before I shoot a Plainsman with my Handi-rifle.  It helps me revive the "muscle memory" I need to run the Handi-rifle efficiently.  Single shot shotguns are lightweight which may help shooters with limited upper body strength.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

I've used this Diamond Arms 12ga. at a number of matches.

With practice, it can be loaded fast enough to take out reactive/flyer targets. 

Not bad for a $50 shotgun. 

 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I use one every now and then .

I'm a slow shooter anyways. 

So I like to use two Cap & Ball 44's with APP BP Sub. 

My Henry 1860 with APP and a Single shot 12g with APP.

And watch everyone choke for 40 to 58+ seconds.

And see how long they can hold their breath  🤣😂🤣😂

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

I thought the single barrel shotgun was developed for cowboys who can't count to "2".

 

Rev. Chase

[Griff]

30 minutes ago, Reverend P. Babcock Chase said:

I thought the single barrel shotgun was developed for farmers who can't count to "2".

 

Rev. Chase

Fixed that for ya...   Cowboys GOTTA know how to count to two so they can make steers!

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

I have used a 20ga New England Arms single barrel.  Before they allowed ejectors, I had converted it.  After ejectors were allowed I replaced the part so I can once again let that empty fly free!  Dont use it often, but it completes the set.  Depending on the day, I can go 10, 12, 16 or 20.  One of these days I will need to get a 97, so I have the full set of styles (single, double, hammered double, lever and pump).  I do have one of those verboten 93/97, fun to shoot but not for SASS.

[Mister Badly]

New Stevens 301. Super cheap. Synthetic stock is legal. It's an H&R Topper clone.

Edited March 17 by Mister Badly

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I did some looking on Gunbroker today, (didn't buy anything) and was surprised to see how inexpensive some SS's are.   There was stuff for less than $100, and a lot for less than $300.

12, 16, 20, .410....

Didn't see any 10 or 8, but I don't wanna go there...

Who knows I may yet get a couple more, just for the fun of it.

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

I have several long barreled single shots, great for Cowboy Trap, but this is the one I occasionally use as a main match shotgun. It came from an abandoned storage locker over 20 years ago, and the original NEF 12g parts appeared to have been, ummm... "shortened" a little at each end, so I found a nickeled 20g H&R barrel on eBay, fit it to the NEF action, then spliced a piece of pine 2x6 onto the remains of the butt stock, shaped it, slapped a Ruger butt pad on out of the parts box, spliced another piece of wood onto the remains of the fore end, and painted the wood with Rustoleum pebble finish paint.  The barrel was $39.51, shipped, plus whatever the can of Rustoleum cost me. 

["Big Boston"]

 

They work, the leather band is a feature one one of the shotguns in the movie Long Riders.

 

 

BB

[watab kid]

i saw that one but dont remember that band but its a solution , 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

When your in the game for just the fun of shooting all of your guns .

Go for it .

It's fun to blast away with the light little single shot .

Clang & Bang , making Smoke & making them Choke  ! 

What's Not Fun About That .

[Three Foot Johnson]

On 3/17/2025 at 4:45 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Didn't see any 10 or 8, but I don't wanna go there...

 

I came across an H&R 176 10g about five years back in a pawn shop for $295, ANIB, 36" bbl, 3 1/2" chamber. Holy crap, what a beast!

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

I use my grand-dad's model 37 single shot shotgun, in 16 gauge.  Over 80 years old. and she is still going strong. 

[Flint N. Steele]

When I was introduced to the game, I only had one shotgun, an H&R Topper in 16 gauge. It worked fine until I got something else. 
It’s good manners to let the TO know that you have ejectors. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I just realized that even though others have done so., I have not posted pics of the guns I mentioned in the first post.   So...

Here's my Greener built on a Martini action

 

And here's my recently acquired Hopkins & Allen.  

 

 

Not bad for 50 bucks!

[evil dogooder]

I run a h&r 12 from time to time.  It's fun and I enjoy the challenge. We do get poppers and it isn't that hard to still get them.